Guide · 2026-05-26 · 7 min read
Export Cursor Settings to a Sovereign Agent
A technical guide for developers moving from Cursor to a native, BYOK, and privacy-first AI environment.
Many developers reach a ceiling with Cursor when they require strict data sovereignty, offline capabilities, or total control over model costs via BYOK. While there is no single 'Export' button to move your entire AI profile to a different agent, you can migrate your project context, custom instructions, and API configurations to AZMX AI to regain control over your development environment.
TL;DR: AZMX wins when you need a native (non-Electron) binary, total privacy (no accounts/telemetry), and BYOK flexibility; Cursor wins when you want a zero-config, integrated VS Code fork with a managed subscription.
| Feature | Cursor | AZMX AI |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Subscription-based | Free / Pro / Teams + BYOK |
| Privacy / Data | Cloud-indexed (mostly) | Local-first, No telemetry |
| BYOK Support | Limited | Full (OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, etc.) |
| Offline Mode | No | Yes (Ollama, LM Studio) |
| MCP Support | Limited/Experimental | Native (stdio & HTTP) |
| Approval Gates | Partial | Strict (All shell/edit ops) |
| Sub-agents | No | Yes |
| Architecture | Electron (VS Code Fork) | Tauri + Rust (~7MB binary) |
| Platform | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux |
Where Cursor is actually better
- Ecosystem: Because it is a VS Code fork, every VS Code extension works out of the box without configuration.
- Onboarding: The managed experience is seamless for users who do not want to manage their own API keys or local LLM instances.
- Integrated Indexing: Their proprietary codebase indexing is highly optimized for mid-sized projects.
Where AZMX wins
- Resource Efficiency: AZMX is a ~7MB native binary built with Rust and Tauri. It does not carry the RAM overhead of an Electron-based IDE.
- Sovereignty: No account creation is required. There is no telemetry. The only network call the app makes independently is a signed updater check.
- Model Flexibility: Use any provider via BYOK—DeepSeek, Cerebras, xAI, or NVIDIA NIM—or run fully offline via Ollama. You pay the provider directly, not a markup.
- Security Defaults: AZMX includes a hard deny-list for
.env,.ssh, and credential files. It requires explicit approval for every shell command and file edit. - Extensibility: Full Model Context Protocol (MCP) support over stdio and HTTP allows you to connect the agent to any external tool or database.
How to switch from Cursor
Since Cursor does not provide a standardized export file for agent settings, follow this playbook to migrate your workflow to AZMX AI.
1. Migrate Project Memory
Cursor uses .cursorrules for project-specific instructions. AZMX AI uses a centralized project memory file called AZMX.md. Copy the contents of your .cursorrules into AZMX.md at the root of your project. This ensures the agent maintains the same architectural constraints and coding standards.
2. Transfer API Keys
Instead of a monthly subscription, gather your keys from the following providers to use in AZMX:
- Anthropic (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
- OpenAI (GPT-4o)
- Groq (Llama 3.1 for speed)
- OpenRouter (for aggregated access)
3. Setup Local Models
If you are moving for privacy, install Ollama or LM Studio. In AZMX, point the provider to localhost:11434. You can now perform AI edits entirely offline.
4. Configure MCP Servers
If you used custom scripts in Cursor, migrate them to MCP servers. AZMX supports MCP over stdio, allowing the agent to interact with your local filesystem or APIs via a standardized protocol.
Pricing breakdown
Consider the cost for a team of 5 developers over one year:
- Cursor (Pro): $20/user/mo $\times$ 5 users $\times$ 12 months = $1,200/year (plus potential usage limits).
- AZMX AI (Free + BYOK): $0/year base. You pay only for the tokens you consume. For a typical developer using Claude 3.5 Sonnet via API, this often results in a 30-50% cost reduction depending on volume.
- AZMX AI (Pro): $20/mo for power users who want advanced features, while still maintaining BYOK for token costs.
If you are tired of Electron bloat and want a sovereign agent that respects your privacy and your keys, download AZMX AI. It is free to start, requires no account, and gives you full control over your AI stack. Visit /download to get started.